This is a companion thread to X-DREAMERS. In an effort not to flood the main topic with game posts (and to experiment with different RP forms, as per the spirit of Freeforms), this is a thread exclusively for off-world missions and other fast paced events such as battles that require a rapid exchange of posts.

MISSION RULES:

1. Only characters submitted to missions in X-DREAMERS may participate.
2. Short posts are encouraged.
3. Your character may exit the area and return to base at any time, although they will have a few turns of cooldown and might not be able to resume in the same place they left off.
4. If you are inactive over several rounds, your character will be sent back to base.

(SUB)MISSIONS

Would you like to GM a mission? Are you too nervous to create an actual, full RP? You may submit one to me privately and if you're lucky, we might run it! Just fill in the form below.

<World:> List universe/media (can have multiple if they merged with something else)
<Location:> Specific location within the world
<Environment:> Particular traits of the world? ~
<Objective:> If an anchor retrieval mission state the anchor and its universe.
<Sequence:> Summarize what happens in the entire mission in 2-5 plot points
1.
2.
3.
<Encounters+NPCs:> Notes about any unusual people or enemies
<Notes>: Misc.

Edited December 3, 2018 by TehUltimateMage

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The first thing that always hit Pascal on any off-world trips were the sudden smells; this one always welcomed her with the scents of spices, desserts, and motor oil. She enjoyed teleporting to new places with her eyes closed, taking the first few steps blind before letting the sights of a new area settle in.

This place she had been to many times, although it seemed like every time she was here things were a little bit different, as if the actions and reactions of all the mixing people and mingling timelines constantly changed the topography of the market itself. The sky was dark and faintly dotted with stars all around as far as the eye could see, but the market was alight with the glow of a hundred thousand lanterns strung through the air. Creatures of all sorts milled about, many of them seemingly human, and many more looking like collages of parts both familiar and alien. Colorful market stalls were staffed with energetic shopkeepers, hawking all sorts of wares small and large.

Pascal turned on her heels to address the party.

"Welcome.... to the Black Market. Not black like shady, just... black like the color."

"Legends say this place used to be under the sea," Pascal continued. "They say that this is where ideas were born and where identities take shape, so that the people here may one day get to live their own stories. It might have been based on how the Black Market had always been a hub for trading parts, though I don't think it's always been part of the multiverse. Or maybe it has. Nobody really knows."

"Most vendors take galactic Pixels--" -- the woman pulled out a card-sized chip out of a chest pocket and waved it once before tucking it away again -- "but many of them accept all sorts of other currency and items for trade. And as far as I know, barter is still common, so make sure you don't accidentally sell an arm or a leg or anything else you'd rather keep!"

Despite the informed risk of being able to trade away one's soul on accident, Pascal remained upbeat and unworried. "Anyway, I'm heading to Cid's. He's a real good mechanic with a ton of spare parts, so meet back here at the green gate in two hours, when the clock strikes... six? If you see something nice, tell them you know Pascal and maybe they'll put it aside for you."

The area where they arrived did seem to feature a dark doorway with a glowing green orb above it. The paving and lights were green too, making the meeting point fairly distinct. Several other similar doors surrounded the outer ring of the marketplace, each coded a different color, and each, presumably, leading to a different exit.

Edited July 14, 2018 by TehUltimateMage

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Evonna was so ready to get the things she had been waiting to get. She looked around for the things that she needed- chocolate chips, flour, sugar, vanilla, and other things that she needed for baking. Maybe she could get some materials for snickerdoodles or white chocolate macadamia cookies. Regardless, she was ready to get things for baking. She also needed some cookie sheets, Evonna didn’t see anything she could use back at base. Some cooking spray too, that was a must. She noticed a girl nearby who appeared to be hugging herself. She was very small, appearing to be around the age of twelve, her bright blue eyes framed by glasses that took up half of her face. Her long, thick black hair hung around her like a curtain, and she seemed that she had mixed white and Asian features. This was only what Evonna supposed, however, because she could never be one hundred percent sure. Perhaps she could be a kind soul and take this girl in- she seemed very scared and meek. It was a shame, if it weren’t for her nature she would have been a pretty little thing, with her elven looks.

She walked up to the girl and carefully put a hand on her shoulder. In response, the girl jumped and looked at Evonna with eyes the size of dinner plates. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Evonna reassured her, “You seem new, we’re in the same boat. My name is Evonna, what’s yours?”

“T-T-Tara,” the girl managed to squeak out. Tara looked at Evonna with a very shy smile, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. She was scared of everyone and everything here, but she decided to ground herself by taking in this kind girl’s features. She was very pretty, with caramel curls that bounced around her shoulders with a bit of a spunk. The girl wore a T-shirt with what looked like the name of a band on it. This band, though, she did not recognize, but she hoped she would have the courage to ask at some point in time. Her pale brown eyes were wide with curiosity and kindness, framed in a round face. She was certain that the girl was at least part African of some sort, but she was too nervous to ask. So Evonna decided to ask her a question.

“Good to meet you, Tara. Would you like to help me shop? I’m looking for stuff to make cookies, would you like to help me find the booth that has baking materials? I’ll help you find whatever it is you’ll need. If you need anything, anyway.” She pondered for a moment and thought about the nice lady who took her to find her room. Lara, was it? She was pretty sweet, if a bit intimidating. Evonna wanted to find something for her. The woman seemed to like guns, perhaps she could find something. Evonna did have a good amount of money from her home world, perhaps they’d take some of it? She very much hoped so, since she didn’t have whatever currency they needed to trade. Evonna took Tara with her and found a stand with baking materials. A very kind old woman stood behind the stand, and she smiled when she saw the two girls approach. “Hi, I’m looking for…” She listed off the ingredients that she needed, and everything else, while the lady placed everything in a couple of bags on the counter.

“Is that all?” Evonna smiled and nodded.

“Oh, yeah that’s everything.” She leaned in a bit closer, a pensive look on her face. “Actually, um, I’m looking for a place that sells firearms. Not for me, but for a friend of mine. Do you know where one could be?” The woman sighed.

“Ah, just across from me there’s a guy. Be careful, young lady, he’s one who likes to take your money. If you have anything to barter, he may be able to take whatever you can provide. But be careful, darling.” Evonna smiled and nodded. She took out her money and placed it on the counter.

“Would I be able to use this?” the old woman smiled.

“Canada, hmm? I see. I’m from Canada too, and I can take it. But not everyone will, so allow me to give you change in pixels. I doubt you have much to barter here other than this money.” She turned around and took out a little chip, loading Evonna’s change onto the chip and handing it to her. “Here you go, dear, that should be equivalent to what you would get in Canada. Good luck, honey, you may need it with that man.” Evonna smiled and nodded again, taking the chip.

“Merci,” Evonna replied, grabbing her new loot.

“De rien, de rien. Bonne chance, mademoiselle.” She waved as Evonna patted Tara’s back and turned to walk to the next booth.

“Merci, madame! Au revoir.” The two girls made their way to the booth with the firearms, Evonna locked and loaded with questions.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Mikasa361

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Despite the heads-up Pascal given, Light was completely bewildered as the world changed around her to reveal a world that appeared to be in the middle of a vivid, colorful festival. So many people were everywhere, talking, bartering, and--did that person just sell a limb?! Light gaped, mouth wide. This is just like one of those mythical marketplaces in a storybook! Interest piqued, she completely forgot about what she wanted to ask the glowy orange dragon next to her, instead excitedly running into a slightly more open part just up ahead to take in the sights. Rainbow lanterns and brightly colored lights--was that a kaleidoscope of nebula-winged butterflies?--sparkled like stars in the shadowed bazaar, and the calls of unimaginable creatures sounded from every direction. In fact, right then, the sound of trumpets erupted from a spot a few feet away--played by a swan, to boot! Light closed her eyes to take it all in, all the wonderful smells and unique songs and the energy of it all. Someone bumped into her and she opened her eyes again, her "sorry" trailing off in a stare of amazement at a little yellow bird with a large crest, small wings, a wicked-looking beak, and a chain of crystals. That bird passed by a stall with colorful, softly glowing bottles designed with different elemental themes.The shopkeeper, who was a giant wolf with dark indigo fur, was unlike any half-breed she had ever seen before. Right beside the stall, there was a stern looking, rusty haired woman who was wearing a white striped blouse decorated with a red bow, and talking to a brown-haired young man wearing a fur lined black leather jacket and a scar down his face. Light's eyes flicked away, and in the middle of the road a trio of people hardly older than her caught her eye; a blonde haired, blue eyed girl with a strange necklace wearing white and blue clothes, another a short, messy silver haired boy with blue and white clothes in addition to long black sleeves, holding a toy of some sort, and finally an excited boy with brown hair that was sticking straight up, wearing the most ridiculously red armor Light had ever seen, all three (friends?) marveling at the sights just like she was. Light looked up, and to her delight saw a woman with short pink hair and skeletal wings who was flying above, yelling at a man with messy orange hair, also those weird wings, and who was holding a lolipop. She turned again and gasped as she saw a man with two dragon heads sticking out of his shoulders somehow! A strange boy with hair like leaves was also walking around, holding a bracelet and shouting. She sat down on a conveniently placed crate, eyes wide and face split with a smile.

"What do you think, Rao?" Light chirped. Rao zipped around her in response.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Pyrowings

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The Espeon looked around, ears pricked. His whiskers twitched slightly, To anyone looking, his eyes would he a bit wide as be took on all the sights around him. So this was another world... a very different one. It seemed his curiosity eould pay off yet. He readied himself in case someone wanted to fight, before looking at the others who'd been with him on the platform. All seemed preoccupied, and the pink feline slipped away.

He wove through the crowds, taking in the sights of the bazaar. So many different creatures! A lupine creature with silver fur that seemed to have white markings to it and yellow-green eyes passed by him at one point, and above him something that looked like a Noctowl with lighter colours and heart-shaped face with no horns flew by. Humans in many different kinds of clothing milled about, as did various creatures tgat looked like hybrids of Pokémon or Pokémon and humans. There were even some creatures he simply couldn't put a familiar description too. They bartered with all kinds of items, from the familiar to things that looked like they were from a particularly wild dream. He continued to wander, hearing snatches of strnge conversation amongst the roar of voices. Occasionally, the sounds were punctured by the noise of something falling, causing Aeolus to jump and scuttle away a bit from the direction of the falling object-sound.

Edited July 15, 2018 by DuskOfTheStars

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Transporting between worlds was... disorienting. Not knowing what to expect, Sora tried to prepare himself for anything. That didn't stop his vision from all but freaking out on him and his ears to ring. Colors bled together for a heartbeat before they could sort themselves out into distinct shapes. Then the noise hit him, just as garbled for just as long. It made his senses upset and he moaned miserably. Was he going to be sick?

Settling down a few moments later, the boy looked around from where he perched on Circuitraider's hand. (He had managed to pry out a name for the machine while they waited for everyone at the Gateway.) It was dark in this world and, for several heartbeats, he feared that the Heartless might have been on the verge of consuming the world. When it appeared that wasn't the case, he relaxed and started climbing down. The machine helped him, lowering its arm closer to the ground.

Pascal was talking and he perked up at a familiar name. "Cid? A blond-haired grandpa?" Sora inquired, walking towards the woman. If this was the same man he met back in Twilight Town - Sora shifted his weight anxiously from foot to foot. Did this mean Twilight Town was gone? Why else would Cid be relocated here? He shook his head, reminding himself not to jump ahead to conclusions. The name could just be a coincidence and mean absolutely nothing. Still, he needed to see for himself. "I'll come with you," he told Pascal.

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Philip looked around, scared to death as he gripped his weapon tightly. If there was one thing, he could trade his weapon for clothes. “You okay?” Ruby asked as she looked up at the tall man. Looking down at the very tiny owl, he nodded. He was mute, Ruby had noticed previously. “Do you mind if I perch on your shoulder? I can try to do the bargaining for you.” Philip nodded and Ruby flew up, landing on his shoulder. She was simply here to sight see but if it meant to help this scary, yet gentle human, then she was happy to do so. After making sure the owl was safely perched on his shoulder before moving, trying to find the clothing section, trying to point at his clothes while he walked. “Do you need some new fur or something?” Ruby asked highly confused. How could one just change their fur!?

As they walked, Philip noticed a lot of different people and creatures. "This place is huge!" Ruby hooted as she looked around. There was a giant whitish mouse, a giant quadruple animal that had excess fur on its neck and were the tail was, before another human that the giant human was immediately drawn too. Oh! So he had found alternative fur? Good for him!

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Shopping at the Black Market was always a pleasant experience for Xander. Back home, Xander didn’t have the opportunity to go shopping. Merchants were too scared to set up shop in Krakenburg and exploring the underground markets were deemed a “frivolous activity for a prince” by his teachers. Xander assumed his duties as king removed the possibility of being able to shop at a market among other things, but arriving at X-Dreamers shook up his expectations. Half-listening to Pascal as she informed the newcomers of where they were, Xander looked out over the market. He could see beings of all kinds, some twisted in fantastical forms and others wearing familiar garb, wandering through the market. The corner of Xander’s lip twitched upward as he watched the beings mingle with one another. Despite the vast differences between everyone in the market, they all seemed to get along for the most part. Xander wished he could see such diversity in Nohr accepted someday when he returned home.

Once Pascal has finished her speech, Xander, noticing that the group was beginning to split off in their own directions, turned to his companion.

“I have a small errand to attend to,” Xander said to Illidan. “You’re free to come along if you wish, but I won’t hold it against you if you wish to do something more entertaining.” With that settled, Xander quickly spun around and firmly grasped Natsuki’s wrist before they could wander off into the market. “You,” Xander said, pointing a finger at his friend’s face. “are going to come with me. I’m fully aware of how bad your eating habits are.” Tightening his fingers around Natsuki’s wrist, Xander gently tugged them towards the market. He had planned to purchase a few things for Sieghorse while he was at the market, but that could wait. Feeding his fellow agent took top priority.

Keaton | Black Market Entrance —> Oh God, Keaton where are you going

Oh, there were so many people!

Keaton’s mouth was opened in awe as he gazed the bustling market. His tail wagged madly as he walked past Pascal, sniffing loudly as he tried to catch the each and every individual scent. He could smell the spices from the various foods being cooked; the sharp scent of a fire burning low underneath the food. Being able to see so many people around, to smell each of their distinct scents, pumped Keaton full of excitement. Sure, he always got excited when visiting a city, but this was different. There were so many people! So many potential friends, so many foods to consume, so much treasure to find! The possibilities were endless!

Seemingly forgetting about this companions, Keaton rushed off into the crowd. He sniffed at the passersby, giving each of them a quick “Hello!” as he ran past them. He could barely contain his delight as he ran from person to person, so much so that he had completely forgotten any of Pascal’s instructions. HIs mind was wholly set on sniffing and greeting each person he passed, giving little thought to how the other agents were becoming little more than shapes in the distance.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Doctortear

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Illidan couldn't help the smirk on his face when he saw Xander grab the other agent by the arm. A little food wouldn't hurt, to be honest. After Rayla pointed out which gate Pascal meant, he followed Xander. "I don't mind going with you at all... in fact, I could use a bite to eat myself."

He looked around at all the people... and he saw quite a few that he recognized from Azeroth and Argus. A golden-haired paladin, a brother-sister pair who were a mage and hunter respectively, a second mage... Even one of his Illidari was here! It gave him some small measure of comfort to see a fellow Demon Hunter. All of these people, he noted, were Sin'dorei... how had he missed that detail for so long? He left them alone, though, knowing that they were more-so gossiping about other events (mainly about something they called "azerite") and not his recent disappearance from the Burning Throne.

Then something else caught his eye - a certain sword. Was that... Quel'delar? The dragon-forged blade of Sin'dorei legend?

He'd have to convince Xander to come back for this.

[ So much to see and do! - Ray ]

Ray smiled upon all the sights, sounds, and lights. Perhaps...

Yeah. Time to let him out and get some fresh air. "I figure you've been holed up in there long enough, Akatsuki." She tosses a PokeBall in the air, and out pops a red and black, bipedal cat that's almost 6 feet tall. Akatsuki yawns, but jolts a little when he sees Keaton.

"It's okay, Akatsuki, he won't bite! Right, Kea--" Then she sees the real reason why Akatsuki had jolted. Keaton was running off on his own!

"H-Hey!! Don't leave us here!!" Ray takes off after him, with Akatsuki not far behind.

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Evonna walked up to the man with her first question. “Excuse me, are those up for trade?”The man looked up from behind his sunglasses, taking them off to make eye contact.

“Yes, they are. What have you got to offer?”

“I have anything that’s on this card.” With glee, Evonna handed the man the card. He placed the chip in the reader and observed the amount that Evonna had left. He frowned.

“Looks like you got ripped off. There’s no way that lady could’ve given you that much stuff. This ain’t enough for the guns.” Evonna felt her blood boil with anger. Tara watched, anxiety and newfound rage coming up inside her. She turned to the lady, who was speaking to some new suckers. Evonna was ready to sacrifice her ex-boyfriend’s pearl necklace. She took it out when…

“ Execute! Spirit evolution!”

Evonna found herself standing next to a giant nine-tailed fox. Her jaw dropped to the ground at the sight, but she couldn’t help but think about how soft that fur must have been. She placed Antoine’s necklace on the man’s booth and watched as this new creature made her magic. Tara approached as Sakuyamon, wielding a great staff and rearing to kill somebody. The little old lady looked horrified as Tara made her way to the booth.

“You dare scam my friend? You dare??? Give her her money back, or I may be forced to attack.” Sakuyamon held her staff up and was ready to summon her first attack. She was more than ready to throw a fireball and destroy the entire booth, flour and all, or perhaps smash the wooden table. The woman relented, immediately placing the Canadian dollars back on her booth. Evonna grabbed her money and looked at Tara, completely horrified. She had no idea Tara could be so horrifying. Some sort of strange barcode things surrounded Tara and, lo and behold, the girl landed on the ground. She looked terrified of the thing she had become, and she burst into tears. The man and Evonna looked at each other in awe.

“I’ll take that money and the necklace, you take the guns. Keep the pixels on your card. Have a good day.” He blinked several times. Evonna was given the guns. She put them in her bag and knelt down to Tara’s level.

“That… was awesome.”

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The bazaar was, though similar to trade cities such as Amaranthine, more chaotic and brightly colored than he expected. Smelled a lot nicer than Amaranthine, too. A good portion of the people milling around had, like Keaton, appendages or features that normal humans, elves, and dwarves lacked. A few were hardly recognizable as people at all, resembling small dragons, large birds, or other strange creatures more than anything.

He wasn’t quite sure why he or any of the other newcomers were there -- no one had given them any kind of list, and encouraging them to come for no reason seemed to be inviting disaster. Someone was sure to get lost in the winding marketplace, at best.

That someone would probably be Keaton, who had already disappeared from his side.

Anders spun around, scanning around for Keaton in the crowd. There! Anders was moving before he even considered why he was bothering -- Keaton wasn’t his responsibility, and there was nothing stopping him from leaving the dog. Justice’s influence, perhaps. “Keaton, wait!” he called, doubting that it would attract Keaton’s attention.

Weaving through the crowd slowed him, but fortunately Keaton seemed distracted by absolutely everyone around himself. Really, there was a lot to see, but that didn’t mean that he had to run off-

mew!

Anders skidded to a stop and turned towards the source of the sound. A man stood with his back to a market stall, holding a large cardboard box in his arms. His hair was a shade of blue that would have been shocking had Anders seen it a day ago, and he wore some sort of orange headband or hat. His odd appearance didn’t stop there -- his eyes were mismatched, there were small blue tattoos on his jawbone, and two feline ears were hidden in his hair.

Far more important than the odd man was the black kitten poking its head out of the box.

“Keaton, come here!” he tried, looking over his shoulder to yell at the dog. If it didn’t work, Ray could handle him.

The kitten managed to pull itself halfway out of the box, teetering over the edge. The man fumbled with the box, trying to adjust his grip so that he could push the kitten back down, but Anders was faster. Gently, he grabbed the kitten and pulled it close to his chest so that it couldn’t fall, despite its squirming.

Mew! the kitten yelled, evidently displeased by the way that its attempts at exploring had been thwarted.

Natsuki [ I'm fine, really ]

In theory, the marketplace was a terrible place. Nothing had gone wrong during any of the X-Dreamers’ past trips, but that didn’t mean that it was completely safe. The constant flow of people from different worlds made it impossible to track the culture or motivations of the crowd, and there were far too many opportunities to hide weapons. Wings and large cloaks created bulges that could conceal guns, and there was the ever-constant reminder of how many people had powerful physical or magical abilities. Trips to the marketplace were unpredictable, in short, and Natsuki had to be alert in order to keep the group safe. The number of rookies coming along didn’t help matters.

In practice, it was almost nostalgic. Not that the marketplace didn't have an air of danger, but when did they ever feel safe? The people, despite how potentially dangerous they were, were for the most part familiar. Some went beyond anything that they had seen in their world, like a man whose head floated a few inches above his shoulders, but Natsuki was used to modified people and gigantic dogs. The horns and strange eye colors were normal.

The familiarity of unusual people wouldn’t be enough, but the overall atmosphere was -- nice. Like the farmer’s market that they had managed to visit a few times. A little more personal, unique, cut off from the politics and endless progression of the world.

They knew that such a view was unrealistic and tinted by rose-colored glasses, but it was comforting to pretend.

They froze for a moment at the touch of Xander’s hand to their wrist. “Thank you, but I’m not going to keel over.” It wasn’t the physical contact itself that scared them -- they were far too used to being poked and prodded for that.

They would have to put a little less time into work and put a little more effort into visibly taking care of themself. It was something that they should have learned by now, but habits were difficult to change after eighteen years. Pretending wouldn’t take too much time, and they would still-

Exhaling, they let themself be dragged along behind Xander. “I can take… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” they said, looking towards the tall demonic-looking man. “I’m Natsuki. A pleasure to meet you.” They continued. “I can take him and myself to get food, Xander. You don’t need to come with us if you have other things to do.” They doubted that Xander would accept, but they felt compelled to offer anyway. It was strange and somewhat frightening, having someone that wanted them to stay healthy for altruistic reasons. They kept finding themself looking for a selfish motive for Xander’s actions -- perhaps he simply wanted them to be able to fight well, and didn’t trust them to judge their own body. His actions made that seem unlikely, but at least it was easy to understand.

Edited July 29, 2018 by Zor

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The bright-haired girl seemed like she was about to say something, but suddenly she breathed in in excitement and ran off to explore. There wasn't any sound to signal what Princess Twilight would have termed a "shopping spree", but Lightpon, like many others, dashed off shortly after they arrived. Qaksh could not think of anything urgent he needed to buy at their usual trading post, but he suspected that, as usual, someone would ask him to carry a share of the supplies back. The whole place seemed like it was part of a giant cave system deep underground, and while some dragon species loved that kind of setting, the claustrophobic darkness unsettled him slightly and made his scales stand on end.

With not much else to do, the magi dragon also galloped forth to catch up with the girl. He kept his focus trained on her pink hair and her summon while he weaved through the spaces between the crowds. Was she his ward now? It was probably a good idea to make sure she didn't get lost. But what about all the others? Would they know to come back on time? Was Pascal really trusting everyone to keep out of trouble -- or avoid trouble coming at them?

He slowed down when he saw she had stopped. The dragon then snapped his frills open a few times to try and clear his mind of all his anxious questions and baseless paranoia before he deemed himself ready to speak to her again.

Usually, Myrdon would smack him in the snout with her wing before he could get too far down the pygmy hole of possibilities. Myrdon would tell him how much of a downer he was being with his negativity, but Myrdon hadn't been there since he started working with the XDRS. And speaking of Myrdon, he hoped she and Galho weren't caught in the universe-ending shenanigans. Or any other shenanigans. Or perhaps they were having the best times of their lives without him in a nice sand pit bath (never mind that, Luminas hated getting sand between their scales).

"Th-There's a lot to see, isn't there?" He attempts small talk towards Light's vague direction. Then the dragon cuts to the chase, the tip of his tail twitching absently and betraying his antsy mood. "You said earlier that you had something to ask me?"

Edited July 30, 2018 by TehUltimateMage

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“Oh, thanks!” Ranulf said as Anders hastily picked up the kitten attempting to escape from the box and held her close to her chest. The laguz picked lifted his knee and nudged the cardboard box closer into his grasp so he could grab onto it more firmly. “That little fellow really wants to go exploring,” Ranulf said as he nodded towards the black kitten in Anders’s hands. “Which would be great and all if we weren’t in a market full of people and if his siblings didn’t get so upset when he leaves the box.” Almost as if on cue, distressed mewls sounded from inside of the box. “Whoops there we go again,” Ranulf said, more to himself than Anders. With his arms wrapped around the cardboard box, Ranulf walked towards a crate away from the walkway and sat down. He placed the cardboard box on the ground in front of him before letting out a tired sigh. “Hey, do you mind putting him back in the box,” Ranulf said to Anders. “His siblings get pretty upset when he—whoa there!”

Seemingly out of nowhere, Keaton materialized next to Ranulf. His tail wagged madly as he inched towards Ranulf and sniffed him.

“Hello there,” Ranulf said, leaning away.

“Hi!” Keaton said, pulling back with a grin.

“Do you mind giving me some personal—” Ranulf’s face was scrunched into displeasure, but as soon as his eyes caught sight of Keaton’s ears, his eyes went wide. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be a laguz would you?”

“Yeah, I am!” Ranulf said, ears perking up. “I saw another wolfskin here a few days ago. We live a few continents apart!” Ranulf ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly awed by Keaton’s presence. He laughed aloud as he leaned back on the crate. “This is incredible! I didn’t think I’d find anyone from the same world as me here.” Looking between Keaton and Anders, Ranulf grinned. “My name’s Ranulf by the way. Who are you guys?”

Xander | Black Market Entrance —> Good Eats

Upon hearing Illidan’s voice, Xander retracted his hand from Natsuki’s wrist. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat embarrassed by latching onto Natsuki so boldly in front of strangers even if he knew that Natsuki didn’t mind physical contact. Clearing his throat, Xander turned his head to address Illidan.

“I’ll be sure to get you something then,” Xander said evenly. He didn’t mind buying food for Illidan in addition to feeding Natuski. In fact, it was a good opportunity to get better acquainted with him. If there was one thing Xander learned during the war it was that your allies fought harder once they had someone to fight for. Becoming friends with allies was a sure way to get Illidan, and the other new recruits for that matter, to care more about the case.

Turning back to Natsuki, Xander folded his arms and gave them an appraising look.
“While I’m certain you have the capability of going out and purchasing your own food, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to do that on your own,” Xander said. “I’m well acquainted with your eating habits. A bowl of reheated rice isn’t enough to get you through the day. Besides, I have an adequate amount of time to buy food and the supplies I wanted.” Without waiting for a reply, because he was well aware that Natsuki knew the debility eating poorly would cause, Xander turned towards the market and waved for his companions to follow. “Come along. I know a decent food stall.”

—

Despite Xander’s earlier instance on eating healthy food, he could not deny that some of the meals served at Good Eats were most certainly greasy, fattening, and, above all else, not the healthiest food around. That said, there were healthy choices and anything served at the food stall was considerably better than a bowl of reheated grain. Pushing through the crowd, Xander headed towards the familiar food stand. The cloth banner hanging on the stop of the stand reading “GOOD EATS” in bright red, bold letters was easy to spot among the crowd. Xander could spot a waft of smoke drifting out from behind the stand just as the scent of salt, fried foods, and cooking meats hit him.

“Shepard!” Xander called as he reached the front of the stall. “What you doing at the back of the stall? Shouldn’t you greet your customers before you ask them to pay for your food?” A krogan, easily seven and a half feet tall, with a verdant green plate on his head and an apron tied around his body looked up from the stove he was cooking from.

“If it isn’t my favorite human,” Urdnot Shepard said in a gravelly voice as he walked towards the opening of the food stall. “It’s been a while since you’ve graced me with your presence.” Shepard squinted his blue eyes as he looked over Xander’s companions. “I see you’ve brought some new faces,” Shepard said. “How come whenever I see you’re hanging out with someone new. Am I not good enough company for you?”

“It’s part of the job,” Xander easily. Peering into the stall, Xander saw meats cooking on the stoves and a counter full of chopped vegetables and fruits waiting to be thrown into a pan or pot to be cooked. “Are none of your daughters working today?” Xander asked. Normally when he came by Good Eats Xander could see one of Shepard’s daughters working in the back cooking the food. Today, however, Shepard appeared to be the only one occupying the stall.

“Nah,” Shepard said with a wave of his hand. “My youngest is going to have her first born soon so all her sisters went to Thessia to throw her a shower.”
“Congratulations!” Xander said with a genuine smile. “It seems like you have more grandchildren every time I come here.” Shepard let out a disgruntled huff.
“Listen, I love my grandkids but 120 is a bit young to have children.” Xander chuckled softly at the comment.
“I wouldn’t know. I’m not even half a century old.”
“Ah, you humans from different dimensions and your short lifespans,” Shepherd sighed. “One of these days I’m going to turn around and you’ll have a full head of gray hair.” Shepherd suddenly perked up, a devious grin on his lips. “Hey, since I’m, as you say, having so many grandkids, why don’t we name one after you? You know, so I can remember you long after your tiny, fragile body expires.” Xander’s smile vanished.
“No.”
“Oh come one!” Shepard exclaimed. “Think of it: Urdnot Xander. Maybe Urdnot Xandria? One of those.”
“I’m a king,” Xander pointed out. “I’m sure my people will remember me.”
“Then how about you name your daughter after me so we’re even? Prince or Princess Shepard! You know, in my people’s culture the name Shepard means hero.”
“No,” Xander said a second time, firmly and with a glare. Shepherd dramatically threw his hands up into the air. “Fine! Be that way. Fade into obscurity. See if I care!”

Letting out a deep breath, Xander looked over at his companions who he hoped weren’t bothered by Shepard’s extravagant nature.
“Go ahead and order anything you want off the menu,” Xander said, pointing towards the handwritten menu hanging inside the food stall. “I’ll pay for whatever you want. Just try not to buy anything with dextro amino acid written next to it.”
“What,” Shephard said as Xander spoke to the agents. “Are you telling me your human-looking friends can’t eat alien food?”
“I’d rather not feed them what would be essentially poison,” Xander explained. Shepard gasped around, mockingly placing his talons on his chest. “Xander! I’m surprised by you. Are you insinuating that I wouldn’t help you hide the bodies?” Xander slowly turned his heads towards Shepard and stared at him unblinkingly. The corners of Shepard’s mouth twitched upward. He managed to maintain eye contact with Xander for half a minute before bursting out into boisterous laughter.
“Ignore him,” Xander said to the agents. “He’s strange but the food is worth it.”

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It would've been easier to not get anything with "dextro amino acid" written next to it if Illidan could actually read. The half-demon couldn't help but groan - this wasn't going to be easy. He was about to explain to Xander that he was blind when he heard a voice behind him.

After being warned by Oblivionix that burritos tended to be on the spicy side, Illidan was quick to voice that it was exactly what he wanted - he couldn't get enough of spicy food. The girl acted as Illidan's eyes, helping him to make certain that it didn't have that strange alien ingredient listed next to it.

She then caught him up on recent events on Azeroth and Argus, especially after his disappearance. Sargeras had managed to drive his blade into Azeroth itself before the rest of the Titan Pantheon managed to drag him back to Argus. But then came the really bad news: Illidan wasn't the only thing to have disappeared from Argus.

Illidan nearly choked. "What else disappeared?!"

"The Crown, you idjit! The Sigil of Awakening, Crest of Knowledge, and Eye of Prophecy are all gone!"

"All three of the pieces... yikes. That can't be good."

"It ain't - the Vindicaar's lost power because of it and the World-Soul of Argus will destroy us if we do so much as touch Antorus without it..."

"Well, damn." Now he'd have to convince Xander to let them defeat the World-Soul of Argus, too. "What about that blade I saw? I could swear it's Quel'delar..."

"It is. Poor goblin bloke's been trying to sell it for a while now, but can't rope in any potential buyers. Ugh... goblins."

"Right... Xander? I don't suppose you'd mind coming with me to check out that blade? It's... kind of enchanted." He didn't know all the details on Quel'delar, regretfully... but he definitely knew it was enchanted. What with, he didn't know...

[ Like keeping track of a Zigzagoon... - Black Market - Ray ]

By the time Ray and Akatsuki caught up to Keaton, they saw a person with an ungodly number of cats. Akatsuki almost seemed tempted...

"No, you're not joining them, Akatsuki." The Incineroar backed off. "I'm Ray." She was sure that her voice would be drowned out by Keaton's, though... so she left it at that.

Edited August 6, 2018 by hikarinomemoriwhoops - colored text for Ray that I forgot to color

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As Reshiram followed the prince, they kept their distance from that... creature. The creature didn't look like anything Reshiram knew. That unnerved them, and they'd resolved to keep away from them. The bustle of the bazaar nade them uneasy. They tried to fade into the crowd as best as they could, keeping as close as they could to Xander while giving the creature a wide berth.

Eventually, Xander stopped in front if a sign Reshiram couldn't read. He started talking to whatever it was that was running the shop. A cold wind drifted through the air, catching their attention. A flash of grey when they looked back. They hissed and tensed, inching closer to Xander. He was saying something and indicating a board they again couldn't read - written in the same strange language, but they didn't catch it as they looked back over again. Was it...? Them...?

(Kyurem)

A flash of power. A familiar fire that had been torn away so long ago. Kyurem raised their head, ice magic creeping from the wounds mostly filled in by ice and from their mouth. A white human. One radiating a power far too familiar. They slunk closer. And the power brew stronger. The human. Kyurem began to follow. Reshiram... the shard of their heart... perhaps there would be respite from millennia of pain. Perhaps.

Reshiram spotted them at one point, and they hid. When Reshiram turned away though, Kyurem returned to following, ice magic leaking faster. It was so close. So close. Respite. Freedom. Perhaps even they could become whole again. For now, as Reshiram stopped, they too stopped gor a moment, begore edging closer, trying to make sure the humans and creatures near Reshiram didn't twke notice in a way that would allow Reshiram to get away. They were so close.

Edited August 7, 2018 by DuskOfTheStars

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Evonna carried on with her trip, happy that her new friend was able to help her get the guns and her money back. She may not have been a particularly scary creature, but her rage alone did intimidate Evonna a bit. She used some money to buy Tara a little treat to comfort her, since this girl burst out crying after she changed back. It puzzled her to see someone have such a drastic change in mood- from rage to fear- but she decided to roll with it anyway. Clearly the girl was just discovering whatever powers she had, which was the same thing Evonna had to deal with herself. She of all people had zero right to judge anyone for that.

She walked over to some booths and perused the wares. There were plenty of different things that Evonna needed if she was going to be in the XDRS, and that included hair care products. Evonna hoped that there would be products that worked with her hair, and voilà. Luckily there was a booth that had just the right products. She smiled as the man at the booth helped her with her products, and Evonna was thankful that the prices were labelled on the packaging so that she knew how much things cost. The man rang her up when she had everything she needed, and everything seemed surprisingly reasonable in comparison to the other booths with beauty products. Who knew being a girl could be so expensive?

When she was done with shopping, she decided to go get some food. But what did she want to get? Did she want something sweet? Something savory? She was so hungry that she couldn’t decide on it. So what did she do? She got herself a little of everything, knowing if she couldn’t finish she could put the leftovers in the fridge. Maybe her next goal would be to get a mini fridge, since she saw only the one refrigerator in the kitchen. ...She would need a good amount of money, though, but she would look to make sure. While she was low on money, she was sure there would be ways to make money during her travels. She made her way away from the foods and towards another area of the market, looking for things so that she could make a list of what to buy.

~Tara- Lost in the black market~

Tara lost herself at the part where Evonna went looking for new hair supplies. She had been too nervous to squeeze her way through the crowd of people that made their way between Evonna and herself. By the time she made it to the booth, Evonna was gone and nowhere to be seen. Tara felt a surge of anxiety rise through her, knowing that she was totally alone. What if she got robbed? She didn’t even finish her treat yet, and she was absolutely sure that she would get attacked by some hungry person or other creature. This place was so large that Tara didn’t recognize anybody from… wherever she had landed. So she decided to walk around and look for things that she would want and hoped that she could find Evonna.

She found herself near a food shop. Nearby were some very strange and yet not unfamiliar characters- a tall young man with curly blonde hair, a tall… female? Male? She wasn’t sure, but she knew they had pale skin and bleach white hair. Then there was what looked to be a man with dark hair, and finally a purple creature, extremely tall with long jet-black hair and no shirt. And… wings? Getting a closer look at everyone made her ever the more confused. What was going on? What were they up to? They were familiar, sure, but... Who were all of these people… or creatures? She was unsure, but she quietly checked the shops around the food shop, hoping that she could find something to keep her mind off of her growing anxiety.

Tara felt a cold rush through her body, sending goosebumps all over her body. She shivered and hugged herself. Something was wrong, so very very wrong.... Anything could happen- what if that midnight man story were real? ...No, that’s silly, that only happens if you summon him. Maybe it was just a friendly monster. Yeah, that’s good, she thought, just a friendly monster who— oh, it’s so very cold.

The girl noticed something very strange, some sort of grey and yellow and blue creature that looked like... Was that some weird Digimon? She only had a brief glimpse of the a digital world before she entered this one, perhaps she had no idea what most Digimon looked like. Yes, maybe it was friendly. That’s it, hopefully it was.

Then she noticed something- no- someone familiar. The person looked to be her age, donned in a blue jacket and grey high-waters, with a very recognizable green and blue bandanna. Tara took her glasses off and cleaned them. When she put them back on, the image was still the same. There was the boy she was just starting to talk to, Kouji Minamoto. She smiled and tried to wave, but he didn't seem to notice her. No, he was much too busy looking at the scenery of the place and checking his D-tector. She puffed her cheeks out indignantly, not liking the fact that she was being ignored. But she was too anxious to try and approach, oh no, she never liked initiating conversations with people. Especially if they're too oblivious to know she exists. Not that he didn't know she was there, she didn't want to follow the other group so she usually shyly followed him around. ...Maybe trying to get his attention wouldn't be a good idea, even if she thought he was finally being nice to her. She didn't want to bother him anyway.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Mikasa361

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Pascal tilted her head. "Huh? Yes, yes!" Sora's recognition of the name reignited a new sense of excitement -- like how one feels when one meets someone who finally knows what you're talking about -- and she slowed her pace to fall in step with the boy. It was no surprise that Cid might have been well known, since he was the best mechanic around. "He does have blond hair and is a real grump sometimes, but everyone still loves him. Do you know him? Last I heard he's pretty well traveled through the multiverse on his ship, but he's found a place here for now."

Cid's workshop was a building all on its own, with a small sign swinging at its front barely advertising its location. It didn't take them very long to get there -- it wasn't that far away and Pascal knew her way. She was simply retracing the same steps she had taken so many times before. If one day she made it to Cid's in her sleep, programming the teleporter included, she wouldn't have been surprised at all.

The space inside was rather tight, with a counter right up near the entrance and on which sat a small bell used to ring for service. Pascal opted not to use the provided ringer. Instead, she shouted at the hallway to the back of house. "Ciiiiiiiiid!"

She waited precisely two and a half seconds before hearing a reply. "Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a twist," came a gruff voice from beyond. When Cid emerged, Pascal was leaning on the counter, her beaming grin offsetting the man's frown in an almost comical way. Every time she came here, she'd be reminded of how cool his googles were and how nice it would be to have something like that as part of an engineer's rough and tough fashion (Stan did), but inevitably she would forget about it before she managed to get herself a pair.

The older man in his white shirt and orange belly warmer was about to give a few callous jabs about her constant visits that would fly right over Pascal's good-natured head (and, Pascal knew that despite the complaining, he enjoyed their banter very much), but this time the routine was interrupted when he saw Sora standing beside her. Surprise registered on Cid's face, but it was subtle and slight. He plucked the toothpick out of his mouth before it could drop to the ground. "Well, if it isn't Sora! It was only a matter of time before you got caught up in this mess, too. Where are Donald and Goofy? Aren't they usually taggin' along with you?"

"What a small multi-world this is," Pascal commented.

~~~

#Aeolus#

As Aeolus wanders around the Black Market, he can hear snippets of conversation from a floating being whose head looked remarkably like a floating red pillow. He is Prince Dreambert, ruler of the Pi'illo kingdom. "Surely we can find something here to help chase down Antasma," Dreambert mutters to himself, "now that he is using dreams to hop through many worlds..."

The pillow-shaped fairy-like being suddenly pauses, lifts his nose and slowly turns, as if catching the scent of something delicious passing by. "How strange..." He shakes his head. "Dream mist, nearby?" He crosses his arms in thought. "Yes... that might be of great use to us."

Dream mist left a distinctive trail of sparkles to his eyes, and he easily sees the path leading to a pink, catlike creature carefully wandering the busy marketplace. Prince Dreambert does not want to lose the opportunity.

"Would you please fetch that kind stranger over there?" he asks his two companions: one portly and wearing red, the other tall and in green, both in blue overalls. The latter had taken a rest among a few crates and bales of hay, soundly asleep, and so the man in red let out a whoop and bounced away to run after the Espeon. He gestures to him to try and get his attention.

Edited August 9, 2018 by TehUltimateMage

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Sora hurried after Pascal, following her steady stride. She obviously knew where she was going, her steps as sure-footed as if she were following a bright, yellow-brick road. As they walked, the boy couldn't help himself and let his gaze drift to everything that surrounded them. Creatures, of all sorts of shapes and sizes, passed by. Hardly any looked at him or Pascal, each of them engrossed in their own business as they milled about. Vibrant colors filled the Black Market, plenty of which Sora didn't even have names for.

He almost bumped into someone. Twisting, he grinned widely as he stumbled away from something that looked like a cross between a fish and an insect. This place was cool and he wouldn't mind making return trips. "Yeah, I know a Cid," Sora started saying, realizing he hadn't immediately responded to Pascal's commentary. "Met him in a world called Traverse Town after he fled Hollow Bastion. He's an engineer and hangs around with Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie."

It looked like they reached their destination, Pascal slipping into a building. Briefly, Sora examined the sign outside the door before passing through the doorway. The young woman with bi-colored hair was already calling out Cid's name, clearly ignoring the bell that sat on the counter. Recognition spread across Sora's face in the form of a bigger grin when a reply carried through the shop. On the tail end of the response, a blond, middle-aged man strode into view. It only took a moment for Cid to notice Sora.

"Cid! It is you!" Sora exclaimed at roughly the same time the man began asking about Donald and Goofy. He barely caught Pascal's remark about small multi-worlds. Snickering, Sora leaned back, crossing his left leg casually behind his right and tapping the toe of his shoe against the ground. Clasping his hands behind his head, he continued grinning. "You know me, Cid! Getting teleported across the universe is just what I do," he laughed. Dropping his arms and leaning forward against the counter, he frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "It beats me. I gotta find them. Donald and Goofy didn't show up at the Gateway with me. I'm worried about them. We were in the middle of fighting a bunch of Heartless when I got pulled away. I guess it's just a good thing some of them didn't tag along with me."

Shaking his head, he continued to frown. "Some of my key chains also got lost; I think they're scattered across the worlds again. What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Hollow Bastion with Leon and the others?" Fear threatened to make his voice shake but he managed to keep it in check just before it could.

Edited August 23, 2018 by ValidEmotions

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Ah, it was the person that Xander had headbutted once. He hardly seemed like the safest person to associate with, but it wasn’t Natsuki’s place to judge. Having more contacts in the marketplace, even if they were only street food vendors, was an asset. Besides, Xander got along well with him, and Xander hadn’t been too badly injured. They’d been worried about him, of course; maybe Xander was trying to get revenge for how much they’d fussed over him that day.

They more or less tuned out Xander’s conversation with Shepard, trying to ignore the mention of ‘short human lifespans’ in particular. Instead, they looked over the menu. The food sounded greasy, meaty, and high-calorie -- perfect.

They felt a flare of curiosity when Xander mentioned some of the food being poisonous -- but no, it wasn’t the time to ask about that. There was no reason to learn more about it, so they quashed the desire to ask. Instead, they only said, “I’ll have the bacon burger, thank you.”

The air gained an odd chill as they waited for their food to be cooked. Normally the marketplace was a comfortable temperature -- why would that change? There was no wind to bring in fresh air. Rubbing their fingers together to keep them warm, they looked around for a potential source. Though they weren’t sure what they were looking for, they did notice that some of the other shoppers looked confused by the cold as well. This wasn’t a normal occurrence, then. The white-haired rookie looked scared as well, but they hadn’t stopped looking scared.

They frowned at Illidan’s request, considering it. They felt as though the group should investigate the cold, but upon reflection, it was likely that they were just jumpy. A bit of cold, however much Natsuki hated it, wasn’t hurting anyone. Besides, leaving to look at a sword had a chance of getting them out of the cold. “I don’t see why not. Just keep an eye out.” They didn’t elaborate, feeling somewhat embarrassed that they were so worried about nothing.

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Hearing Illidan let out an exasperated groan, Xander turned to address him only to close his mouth when he saw a long-eared woman softly conversing with Illidan. Xander was mildly surprised to see that the two seemingly knew each other. It prior trips to the marketplace, it wasn’t uncommon for agents to encounter someone from their respective worlds. Xander himself had run into a few familiar faces, some of which he would have rather not seen. Still, he was taken aback by how quickly one of the newer agents found someone from their respective world.

Turning his attention back to Shepard, Xander waited for everyone to figure out what they wanted and quickly ordered their food. As Shepard was jotting down the orders, Xander made a motion for him lean closer to which he obliged.
“I wouldn’t suppose you know what a Pokémon is, would you?” Xander asked.
“Ha! You think I would work in a multidimensional marketplace if I didn’t know?” Shepard said. “Of course I do. Unfortunately, I don’t really get a lot of them as customers so I don’t have much for them on my menu.”
“But you have something,” Xander pressed. Shepard nodded.
“It ain’t the healthiest thing in the world but it’s edible and full of flavor.”
“Save the preaching,” Xander said as he fished out a wallet. “I’m already buying from you.”

Despite the lack of usual assistance from his daughters, Shepard managed to serve the meals reasonably fast. Xander handed Natsuki and Illidan their respectively ordered foods. He handed Reshiram skewered, roasted Oran berries that glistened with a sticky outer coating and grabbed the shawarma he had ordered that was neatly tucked away into a paper wrapper. Just as Xander was paying for the meal, Shepard handed him a piece of paper. Xander blinked at the krogan, momentarily confused before delicately taking the paper from his hand. It was hard to make out the disorderly script at first, but after staring for awhile Xander could make out the words scribbled down on the paper.

“What’s this for?” Xander asked as he looked up at Shepard.

“I don’t usually cook for Pokémon but I know a few merchants for sell food for them,” Shepard said. “If you’re looking more food I’d suggest going to the food stalls I wrote down.” Xander gave an appreciative hum as he looked over the list. Adding a few more stops to his supply run wouldn’t hurt.
“What’s this number you wrote on the bottom?”
“My phone number.” Xander looked up at Shepard who had a stupidly big grin on his face.
“Your… phone number.”
“Yeah!” Shepard said excitedly. “In case you or anyone else from that little organization wanted to visit the family.” Shepard winked exaggeratedly. Xander was not impressed.
“I don’t have a phone nor do I know how well phones would work across dimensions,” Xander said. Shepard waved a hand as blew a loud raspberry.
“Shut up and take it, you big oaf!” Shepard said. Xander raised an eyebrow but made no further comments as he pocketed the paper.

Saying a quick farewell to Shepard, Xander turned his attention back to his companions. Recalling that Illidan had requested to investigate an enchanted sword, Xander gave him a brief nod.
“Very well, I see no problem with checking it out,” Xander said. There would be plenty of time to run the errands Xander had planned afterward. He still had plenty of money on his person so he wasn’t terribly worried if Illidan wanted to purchase the sword or if anyone else had any impulse buys so long as the products weren’t terribly expensive. Glancing down at Reshiram, Xander noticed that they had inched closer towards him and wore an anxious expression. From the time he had spent with them, Xander recalled that their discomfort with strangers was more than just introversion. He wasn’t sure if their current anxiety was caused by the crowds of people, the sudden chilliness of the air, a mixture of the two, or something more. Either way, there was no way he was going to ignore their perturbation.

“Are you well?” Xander asked Reshiram. “You can hold onto my arm if it makes you feel better.” Xander offered his arm towards Reshiram in case they took up his offer. Having lived with his siblings his entire life, Xander was well aware of how comforting it could be to ground himself when he felt anxious. He wasn’t sure if Reshiram felt the same, but it didn’t hurt to try.

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Oblivionix smirked. "Sounds like your new friend's on board... or, at least, one of 'em is." The huntress didn't seem too bothered by the chilly air - she'd spent far too long in Northrend to let the cold bother her. Illidan was bothered by it, however, but there was no way in a billion years that he would admit it. "...are they gonna be all right?" she asked, motioning to Reshiram.

"...if you say so. Let's hope Quel'delar doesn't take a liking to any of you guys."

Hold up - did she say what he thought she said?! "...wait, what? What do you mean 'take a liking to us'?"

"You don't know?! Ten thousand years of life and you don't know about Quel'delar's enchantments?! Honestly, Stormrage, I thought you'd have been told by one of the other Sin'dorei you've got in that rag-tag group of yours!"

"...I... Okay, I'll admit it, I don't know much about the blade's enchantments. And no - nobody thought to tell me."

"Then I'll tell ya about the sword's enchantments: Quel'delar gots a mind of its own. It's picky - it chooses the wielder, not the other way around. That's probably the reason why the poor goblin bloke can't find anyone to sell it to. For all we know, the blade could pick them." Oblivionix motioned towards Natsuki in saying that last line.

"...that's... wow." For once in his life, Illidan was speechless. "...is there a way to tell if it does end up choosing one of us?"

"Yeah, it'll challenge the person in question to fight it. No wielder or anything. Thing is, though, that person has to beat it alone - nobody can help them; it's just them and whatever weapon's on them." That... wasn't comforting. The last thing Illidan wanted was a fight in a place like this!

"...do me a favor, Oblivionix - keep an eye on the Argus situation. With the Crown of the Triumvirate missing, it'll only be a matter of time before the Legion goes back on the offensive against Azeroth."

"Will do, Stormrage - I'll let ya know if I see anything. I gotta be off - gotta make sure the boys don't wreck anything on our way back. Especially not Nora - you know him."

"Yes, yes I do; he is one of my Illidari, after all. Keep him out of trouble, Oblivionix."

Illidan sighed, watching Oblivionix rejoin her group as he ate away at his burrito. But now Quel'delar warranted the Demon Hunter's full attention - this was definitely something to check out.

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"Look, I know we just met an' all but could you be any slower?" The blue hedgehog tapped his foot at the ashen blond, rolling his eyes as the other kept browsing the goods at the bazaar. To Joshua, there was no reason to rush.

Turning to look at Sonic, he offered a smile - one that Sonic easily recognized as "you can't do anything about this". "Now dear, is that any way to talk to a new friend? And friends accompany friends on shopping trips, so stop complaining!"

"I'll complain all I want! We're in a place we don't understand and don't know, and my friends could be in danger!"

"Your friends will be fine without you. You have a new friend here, and plenty of other new friends to choose from." As if to emphasize his point, Joshua gestured in the general direction of the bazaar. "So settle down and stop fidgeting. You look like you can't sit still. You'll draw unwanted attention and people will think you're a thief. Unless that's your plan, dear little mouse~"

"I'm a hedgehog," Sonic grumped, crossing his arms and sighing. "Fine. Might as well explore a bit myself. I'm thinkin' about headin' over to get somethin' to eat; you comin'?"

"Fine. Let's go, then."

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Aeolus heard snatches of conversations as he continued, before a whoop caught his attention. He turned to behold a moustachioed man wearing a red cap and shirt with blue overalls and brown boots. Tye man wabved yo gim. Aha. So this man was trying to get jhs attention? He approached a bit, ears pricked.

(Reshiram)

Xander handed something to the humanawnd the creature, before he turned to them, now handing over skewered Oran Berries that looked like someone had cooked them. After he turned away, Reshiram sniffed at the Berries. They didn't smell poisoned, and Reshiram took a wary nibble. Their sharp teeth tore off small bits of the Berry, which seemed to have several flavours mixed into one. They didn't eat much, though - they warily glanced around. Strangers and this cold.

Xander seemed to be looking at tgem asgain, asking them if they were were well. They whimpered - this cold... was it Kyurem...? Kyurem meant nothing good. The next question Xander asked made Reshiram freeze for a bit. He was... letting them touch him? Not forcing them to or pushing them away? They reached out, but seemed hesitant.

Edited August 18, 2018 by DuskOfTheStars

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Watching Reshriam anxiously reach for his arm, Xander offered them a kind smile.
“It’s alright,” he said softly as their hands hesitantly grasped his arm. “I don’t mind if you hold on tighter or let go. Do whatever makes you most comfortable.” Once Reshiram was settled, Xander glanced back over at Illidan who was watching his, presumably, friend walk away. “I take it that blade you were looking for is back near the entrance, yes?” Xander asked. “I have an idea of where the vendor is.” He had somewhat overheard of conversation between Illidan and his friend. The word “goblin” in particular caught his attention. If his knowledge of otherworldly creatures was as adept as he thought it was then he had an idea of where the sword Illidan was looking for was. Motioning for his fellow agents to follow, Xander headed back towards where they had arrived.

———

The walk to the goblin’s stall didn’t take very long. Xander filled the time taking generous bites of shawarma and occasionally glancing down at Reshiram to gauge their anxiety. The goblin was exactly where he had been the last few times Xander had visited the market. The goblin was currently lounging in a chair, trying to persuade a man with long white hair and what appeared to be lobster claws attached to him to purchase something from the stall. Seeing that the vendor was busy, Xander quickly scanned the stall to see if the sword Illidan was talking about was for sale. The stall had several compartments with a wide of assortment of objects within each of them. Most of the wares appeared to be mechanical trinkets that Xander, coming from a world with few advance machines, had no hope of understanding. The stall had an excessive amount of articles of clothing most of which consisted of gloves, boots, and accessories; some of which were glowing with an ominous light and others that looked… intriguing to say at the least. There were more miscellaneous objects such as strange whistles or the black dragon whelping that was sleeping peacefully in a cage, but, much to Xander’s relief, there was one sword. It was half buried underneath a purple cloak so Xander couldn’t quite make out its shape, but, strangely enough, he didn’t see any other swords in the collection.

As Xander browsed the wares, a second white hair man with draconic wings dragged the lobster man away from the stall. The goblin instantly turned his attention to Xander and the rest of the party.
“Hey hey, you see something you like?” the goblin asked. “Trust me, I got the best deals anywhere. Well, anywhere in this market.” Xander looked down at the goblin.
“We’re just looking at the moment,” Xander said before glancing over at Illidan. “Is that the sword you’re looking for?” he asked as he pointed towards the strange looking sword.

Edited August 19, 2018 by Doctortear

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Illidan spotted the sword quickly enough. "That's the one." What little he could see of the blade clearly had the markings of Quel'delar. The detail that showed up the most in Illidan's Spectral Sight were the runes etched into the blade - clearly the sword was made by dragons, one of the few surviving blades left on Azeroth having been made by such.

The sword then shuddered a little, shaking off the rest of the cloak on top of it. Oh yeah, that was definitely Quel'delar. A dragon-made blade of legend, similar to the one Illidan knew more of: its sister blade Quel'serrar. Sadly, Quel'delar's twin was absent from the stall - in fact, Quel'delar was the only sword on sale here...

The shuddering then when to full-on moving as Quel'delar rose up on its own. Illidan's Spectral Sight was going haywire now - magic was at work here and all signs pointed to Quel'delar being the source. It seemed Oblivionix hadn't been joking about its reaction to finding a potential wielder, and all signs pointed to Xander being the one Quel'delar wanted to judge, to see the potential of. Illidan grew nervous (as if he'd ever show it externally), but he knew that if that was the case, Xander would have to fight Quel'delar one-on-one - no intervention, not even from the Betrayer.